Chapter 60 Daisy - A Whole Life Long #2
It was somewhat dizzying to be swept up with all those talented singers, filling the stage with their beautiful voices.
I wasn’t sure what to do until a man I recognized very well appeared beside me, took my hand, and pulled me to the front of the stage.
My heart seized, and I was so confused that I forgot to be absolutely mortified.
The singers went quiet, the light was on Mason, and he took my hands, looked into my eyes, and sang the last line of the song one more time, his eyes glued to me: “It only takes a moment.” He put his hand to my cheek as he sang, “to be loved a whole life long.” Well, of course, the crowd went nuts to see the town celebrity standing there, singing a solo—even if it was only a line.
And, as he placed the gentlest, tenderest kiss on my lips, I wanted to cheer too.
And I was left wondering if this was for Tilley or, as it seemed at the moment, if it could actually be for me.
Mason gave a small wave to the crowd, who went wild again with cheers, then took my hand and led me backstage. “Daisy, I—”
But I didn’t let him talk or explain. I wrapped my arms around Mason and kissed him again, feeling like I could melt into him.
I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt the tears between our cheeks.
I pulled away and put my hand on my lips.
“I’m sorry. I just…” I looked down at my feet and then I decided that I should be brave. “I just missed you.”
“I just missed you too,” he said. “And I wanted to—”
I put my hand up. “Me first.” I took a deep breath. “I acted horribly, immorally, unhinged. And I am so sorry, Mason. I am so, so sorry. The idea of Maisy being taken from me turned me into a person I didn’t like.” I paused. “And can we blame like at least thirty percent on pure exhaustion?”
He rubbed my arms. “You did the wrong thing for the right reason.”
I cocked my head and laughed. “Yeah. I suppose I did.”
He put his hand on his chest. “And I tried to tell you about Chapel Hill. I swear I did. But I wanted it to be the right time when we could discuss it and make a plan. I didn’t want you to think I was just leaving town and things were over for us and then—”
“And then things were over anyway,” I filled in.
He kissed me again. “But I don’t want things to be over. And I have all these thoughts about how to make this work.”
I nodded, because I had all these thoughts too.
He ran his hands up and down my arms. “Daisy, I’m so, so sorry about Maisy,” he said, tears pricking his eyes, which, of course, made them fill mine too.
I shook my head, and he pulled me close to him again, resting his chin on my head.
“I know how much you love her, and I told Cheryl how great a mother you would be.”
I squeezed my arms tighter around him. It was so hard to say goodbye. But knowing that Mason believed in me, that he fought for me even when things between us were hard, helped.
“Mason,” I said into his chest. “I want to move.”
He pulled away, looking truly shocked. “But your job and your town house and—”
I shook my head. “My town house is month-to-month, I thrive working at a Level One trauma center, and, even if there wasn’t you—which I decidedly hope there is—giving Maisy back to Sarah and Drew was so hard…
” I trailed off, trying not to cry again.
“I think I need a fresh start,” I said, my voice wavering.
“I’m so sorry, Daisy,” he said, wiping my cheek with his thumb. “I know how much you wanted to adopt her.”
I swallowed my tears, trying to be brave. I nodded. “I did. But it just wasn’t meant to be.” I shrugged and he kissed my temple, pulling me to him again with authority.
“For what it’s worth, I’m going to miss the hell out of her too,” he said into my hair.
It was my turn to pull away. I pinned on that fake smile I’d practiced in the mirror, and realized it felt just a little bit real as I said, “You know where there’s a great NICU?”
He laughed. “I hope you’re going to say Chapel Hill.”
I nodded.
His smile faded, and Mason said, “Daisy. You’ve been through a lot today. Why don’t you take a beat—”
“I’m sure,” I interrupted.
He swept me up in his arms and kissed me hard. “You are so amazing to do this for me.”
I scrunched my nose. “Kind of. But I can’t bear the thought of living in a place where I had Maisy without Maisy.”
He nodded but didn’t speak.
“Also, I hate running into Julie every minute. I want to heal our relationship, and I have a hard time doing that when she just pops up.”
He nodded. “Okay. Lots to unpack there. Save it?”
“Save it.”
A shadowy figure rushed toward us backstage, and I wondered if we were being too loud. But then I realized who it was: George. He looked out and said, “Damn. My plane was delayed, and I missed opening night.”
“It was very dramatic,” Mason said, clapping him on the back. “But, hey, there’s always tomorrow.”
George watched Tilley glide across the stage for a moment. “She’s something, isn’t she?”
“Oh, she sure is,” I said, thinking of how I knew without even asking that she had arranged tonight down to the nth degree. Just like Dolly Levi would have.
“Do you think playing a character who finally has the courage to move on from her husband’s death will make her feel a little more warmly about taking a chance on me?” George half joked.
Mason pointed toward a closed door and said, “Her dressing room is right there. Only one way to find out.”
Mason and I raised our eyebrows at each other.
When we pulled apart, Tilley was singing, and Mason swept his hand toward the stage. “So, did you notice?”
“I noticed that Tilley is killing it if that’s what you mean.”
“No, no. Did you notice my grand gesture?”
“Oh, is that what that was?”
His face fell. “Did you really not notice?”
I hugged him and said, “Of course I noticed. It was the grandest of grand gestures.” I pulled away and looked at him. “But I don’t need a grand gesture. I just need us to communicate.”
He nodded. “Got it. Are you sure you want to move in with me? I’m kind of a work in progress. Or maybe a fixer-up—”
“No one ever said anything about moving in with you!” I blurted out. Speaking of bad communication… I said it like I didn’t want to, but oh, how I did. “You don’t need that kind of pressure.”
Mason furrowed his brow. “Well, I just figured that if you were going to move, it would be with me. I have this three-bedroom house right near campus, and you could walk to the hospital, and we could walk through town and go out to eat, and…” He trailed off and studied my face. “Is that not what you want?”
In that moment, I knew. “It is exactly what I want. But I don’t want it to be too much too soon.”
Mason slid his arms around my waist and leaned his forehead against mine. “It’s not too much. It’s barely enough.”
“Mason Thaysden, if you had ever told me that the ne’er-do-well baseball coach would take a step this quickly…”
“Ne’er-do-well? Really?”
“Aunt Tilley is my best friend. I’ve picked up some vocab.”
As if I’d summoned her, Tilley rushed off the stage in a state of glee and wrapped her arms around the two of us. “You are a star!” I said. “A true, bona fide star!”
“You are, Till,” Mason said, kissing her cheek.
“Oh, and, um, I think there’s a present waiting in your dressing room,” I said.
“A present? For moi?” Tilley asked grandly. “Why, I never…” She scurried off.
Mason took my hand. “Hey, Dais.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, you know.”
I smiled. “Yeah. I know. And I love you too. Very much. And, Mason, I know this is kind of scary, but I really think it’s going to work.”
“I know it will.” Mason wrapped me in his arms again and kissed me as cast members flooded off the stage, bumping and jostling us. It was a crazy, discombobulated scene. But, in that moment, Mason and I might as well have been the only two people in the world.